Cycle timer



May 28, 1963 J. BOWMAN 3,091,673

CYCLE TIMER Filed June 8. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. J Boa/we n J. BOWMAN CYCLE TIMER May 28, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 8, 1960 m m m.

(DIR KW (Q IN VEN TOR. Jae Boy/m? BY AZ#, A- HI! 5 United States Patent Indiana Filed June 8, 1960, er. No. 34,707 7 Claims. (Cl. 200-38) This invention relates generally to electrical timers, and more specifically to an improved cycle timer construction.

Although the principles of the present invention may be included in various cycle or sequential timers, a particularly useful application is made in an automatic dry cleaning machine where the timer is used as a safety device.

In a combination washer or dryer, during operation of the drying cycle thereof, a small garment may be drawn by fan suction to a position where it blocks the air exhaust. This condition causes the internal temperature to rise and to open a safety thermostat, thereby shutting down the heat. However, when such a sequence of events occurs, the garments in the machine do not become fully dried. A combination dry cleaning and dryer machine is inherently susceptible to the foregoing malfunction and chain of events. However, in a dry cleaning machine, the problem is somewhat more serious since the garments continue to hold a quantity of dry cleaning solution which may constitute a health and/ or fire hazard.

The present invention contemplates the utilization of a cycle timer which is responsive to the foregoing-described malfunction, and which serves in a control circuit to correct the condition if possible to allow the cycle to continue normally. On the other hand, the timer of the instant invention will serve to take alternate corrective action if the preferred correction does not occur.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cycle timer which is capable of being utilized to correct the foregoing problem.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved cycle timer which embodies a simplified arrangement of structural features.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a timer which may be employed to control the correction of a machine malfunction and to simultaneously initiate the control of the correction of the malfunction in an alternative manner.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged elevational view, partly broken away to reveal internal components, of a cycle timer provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational View looking at the right side of FIGURE 1, with the cover of the timer broken away, the motor being shown fragmentarily; and

FIGURE 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the timer of the instant invention may be utilized to correct the malfunction discussed above.

As shown on the drawings:

The principles of this invention are particularly useful when embodied in an electrical cycle timer assembly such as illustrated in FIGURE 1, generally indicated by the numeral 10. The cycle timer includes an insulative base 1 1 to which a synchronous electrical motor is secured 3 ,091,673 Patented May 28, 1963 by a case 12 which rotates a cam 13 to deflect a blade 14 and its contact 15 into alternative engagement with a contact 16, and a contact 17 carried by a blade 18, the contact 17 in turn engaging a contact 19 carried by a blade 20. The cam 13 and the contact and blades 14-20 are enclosed by a supporting cover 21.

The base 11 is generally rectangularly shaped and is suitably ape-rtured to receive a pair of mounting screws 22, which secure the motor case 12 thereto. The base 11 is also slotted as at 23 so that the motor case 1 2 and cam 13 may be removed or installed as a unit, the cover 21 being correspondingly slotted as at 24 for the same purpose. The base 11 is also provided with a number of notches or apertures 25, each of which receives a deformable ear 26 forming an integral part of the cover 21. The screws 22 also serve to hold the cover 21 tightly against the base 11 on the side thereof opposite to the motor case 12.

The motor is provided with an output shaft 27 which is journaled by the case 12, and which projects through the base slot 23 to the other side of the base 11. A pair of means such as cars 28 are provided on the shaft 27 which are received in slots 29 formed in a hub portion 30 of the cam 13 to create a driving connection therebetween so that the cam 13 is co-rotatably driven by the shaft 27.

The cam 13 is generally flat remotely from its hub portion 30 and has a periphery 31 which is concentric with the shaft 27 and which extends arcuately thereabout for a limited extent. At the leading edge of the periphery 31 there is provided a steep rise portion 32 which is engaged by a cam-follower 33 which functionally is a part of the blade 14, although here illustrated as a separate element. At the trailing edge of the periphery 31 there is a precipitous drop or free fall portion 34. In a typical embodiment, the motor rotates the output shaft 27 at a rate of one revolution per minute. In the illustrated embodiment, the arcuate portion 31 subtends an angle of about 30 so that if a one rpm. motor is utilized, the blade 14 will be deflected out of the illustrated position for 5 seconds out of each minute.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, the hub portion 30 has a reduced diameter end portion 35 at the end of the hub portion 30 remote from the base 11. The cover 21 is provided with a boss 36 which is inwardly indented and apertured as at 37 to receive and to bearingly supp rt the outer or free reduced diameter end portion 35 of the cam 13. It will be noted that the extreme outer end of the reduced diameter portion 35 does not project from the outer surface 38 of the cover 21, which surface 38 serves as a supporting surface and is provided with supporting ears 39, shown in FIGURE 1, for that purpose.

The cover 21 has a generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration when viewed as seen in FIGURE 2. As can be seen from FIGURE 1, the cover 21 also has a generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration when viewed through a plane taken at right angles to the views of FIGURES 1 and 2. The bight portion has the support surface 38 at its outer or supporting surface, and the legs of the U-shape have the cars 26 and 26a which receive the screws 22 to secure the cover 21 to the base 11.

The blade 14 is provided with a terminal 40, and similar terminals are provided for the blades 18 and 20. The contact 16 is supported directly by a terminal 41. Each of the terminals 40 and 4 1 has a pair of transverse portions 42, 42 extending in opposite directions from the main plane thereof and engageabile edgewise with the base 11 to serve as locating stops. The terminails 40 project through the base 11 as seen in FIGURE 2 and are adapted at their outer ends to comp-rise spade terminals such as are known in the art. If desired, a back-up member 44 may be provided for each of the blades 18 and 20 against which such blades are resiliently biased and positively and accurately located. It will be noted that each of the blades 14, 18 and 20 comprise flexible conductive material, and that they are thus supported at one end by the base 11 and disposed in edgewise relation to the base 11 in flatwise spaced relation to each other.

The contacts 15, 16 comprise one switch which is normally closed. When the cam is rotated so that the camfollower portion 33 deflects the blade 14 out of engagement with the contact 16, the steep rise 32 is of such extent that the contact 15 not only engages the contact 17 but that the contact 17 is forced to engage the contact 19. Thus the contact 15 and the blade 14 is common to both switches, and the contacts 15, 17 and 19 comprise the second switch. It is emphasized that when the second switch is open, the first switch is closed, and 'vice-versa. When the contact 15 is closed with the contact 16, the contact 17 is always in spaced or insulated relation to the contact 19 so that the associated circuits are thereby isolated from each other when the second switch is open, and are common with each other only when the second switch is closed.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, there is illustrated a representative circuit in which the instant invention may be employed to particular advantage. The circuit as a whole represents a fragmentary portion of the controls of a combination washing-drying machine or combination dry cleaning and drying machine. Such a control system includes a wash timer 45 having a motor 46 which is normally driven by a circuit which is not illustrated to operate a number of cam-actuated switches including among others a pair of switches 47, 48. At a point in the cycle of the timer 45, the switch 47 is closed, thereby energizing a dryer timer 49. This point in the wash timer cycle is known in the art as the dry pause position. At this position, no further power is provided to the motor 46 by the means which normally does so. Upon being energized, the dryer timer 49 provides a circuit path from a line 50* connected to a source of potential, through a thermal switch or thermostat 51 which is normally closed through a cold contact 52, to a heater 53 to operate the same.

The wash timer 45 also closes the switch 48 at the dry pause position, thereby closing the illustrated circuit to a fan or blower clutch 54. Thus it will be noted that the dryer timer 49 energizes the fan clutch 54 at the same time that the heater 53 is energized.

The circuit from the dryer timer 49 to the fan clutch 54 passes through the cycle timer 10, and in particular includes the blade 14 and its contact 15 communicating with the contact 16. Normally, this condition continues until the drying cycle is completed at which time the dryer timer 49 shots ofi the heater 53 and the fan clutch 54. However, if the suction created by the fan or blower which is operated by the clutch 54 should cause a garment to cling to the air exhaust of the machine, the air will fail to circulate at the same rate through the machine, and therefore the temperature thereof will be increased by the heater 53 until the thermostat 51 breaks the circuit through the cold contact 52 thereby de-energizing the heater 53. If the heat is sufiicient, the thermostat 51 will close a circuit through a hot contact 55 thereof which leads to the blade 18 and its contact 17, and which also leads to the motor 12 of the cycle timer 10. When the motor 12 is energized, the cam 13 acting through the cam follower 32 raises the blade 14 to break the contacts 15, 16 of the first switch, thereby interrupting the circuit to the tan clutch 54. With the suction thereby eliminated, the garment will normally drop away from the exhaust opening of the machine, so that when the cam 13 allows the contacts 15, 16 to re-engage, the garment will normally have fallen away and the ensuing re-energizing of the fan clutch 54 reestablishes air circulation. The reestablishment of circulation cools the thermostat 51, thereby reestablishing a circuit through the cold contact 52 to re-energize the heater 53 to allow the drying cycle to be completed.

Opening of the contacts 15, 16 also elfects closing of the contacts 15, 17 which are connected in parallel with the circuit through the hot contact 55 of the thermostat 51. Thus if the thermostat 51 does not positively close, but fries or sputters, such condition will continue only until the motor 12 is positively provided with a potential through the contacts 15, 17. Thus even if the thermostat 51 should immediately open the circuit through the hot contact 55, the cycle timer 10 will be driven through one complete cycle, thereby insuring that the fan clutch 54 will be de-energized.

Closing of the contacts 15, 17 also closes the contacts 17, 19, thereby applying a potential through a line 56 to the motor 46 of the wash timer 45. Assuming that the cycle timer 10 closes the contacts 17, 19 for a period of five seconds per cycle, it is apparent that the wash timer motor 46 will thus be also energized for five seconds. If a single cycle of the cycle timer 10 does not correct the condition, the cycle timer 10 will remain energized when the contacts 15, 17 open by virtue of the thermostat 51 which then remains closed through the hot contact 55. This allows a second cycle to be initiated for the cycle timer 10, which thereby drives the wash timer motor 46 for an additional five seconds. This continuous running of the cycle timer 10 will continue until the garment has dropped away from the exhaust opening to allow cooling of the thermostat 51 as described, or until the wash timer 46 has been thusly pulsed out to the end of the cool-out, at which time the clothes will have become dry due to the cycle action.

Although various minor modifiications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A sequential timer comprising in combination:

(a) a base of insulative material;

(b) a synchronous electric motor assembly secured to said base and having a rotatably driven output shaft;

(0) a single cam rotatably driven by said output shaft,

and having a peripheral track with only two effective dwell heights spaced from each other by a relatively steep rise portion and a free fall portion;

(d) a plurality of biased flexible contact blades secured to said base in flatwise spaced relation to each other, one of said blades having a sharp-edged camfollower projecting therefrom and engageable at its edge with said track at one of said dwell heights, and operative on said one blade to deflect all of said blades jointly against their respective biases in response to cam rotation; and

(e) a plurality of contacts and terminals operatively associated with said blades and defining therewith two switches, said one blade being common to said switches and being normally closed of its own bias against one of said contacts, and being movable therefrom and engageable with another of said contacts in response to rotation of said cam.

2. A sequential timer comprising in combination:

(a) a base of insulative material;

(b) a synchronous electric motor assembly secured to said base, and having a rotatably driven output shaft;

(c) a single cam rotatably driven by said output shaft,

and having a peripheral track with only two effective dwell heights spaced from each other by a relatively steep rise portion and a free fall portion;

(11') three biased flexible contact blades secured to said base in flatwise spaced relation to each other, one of said blades having a sharp-edged cam-follower projecting therefrom and engageable at its edge with said track at one of said dwell heights, and operative on said one blade to deflect all three of said blades jointly against their respective biases in response to cam rotation; and

(e) a contact and a terminal associated with each of said blades, and an additional contact and terminal supported by said base, said contacts being so disposed as to define three switches, said one blade being common to two of said switches and being normally closed of its own bias against said additional contact while the other contacts are disengaged, said other contacts being normally insulated from each other, said one blade being movable from said additional contact into joint electrical contunit-y with said other contacts in response to rotation of said earn.

3. A sequential timer comprising in combination:

(a) a base of insulative material;

(12) a synchronous electric motor assembly secured to said base and having a rotatably driven output shaft;

(0) a single cam rotatably driven by said output shaft,

and having a peripheral track with only two effective dwell heights spaced from each other by a relatively steep rise portion and a free fall portion;

(:1) three biased flexible contact blades secured to said base in flatwise spaced relation to each other, one of said blades having a sharp-edged cam-follower projecting therefrom and engageable at its edge with said track at one of said dwell heights, and operative on said one blade to deflect all three of said blades jointly against their respective biases in response to cam rotation; and

(e) four aligned contacts, three of which are respectively supported by said three blades and the fourth being rigidly supported by said base, said one blade being movable by said cam so that its contact alternatively engages a second and said fourth contacts, said second contact being movable thereby into engagement with the third contact.

4. A sequential timer comprising in combination:

(a) a base of sheet-like insulative material;

(b) a synchronous electric motor assembly disposed at and secured to one side of said base, and having a rotatably driven output shaft extending through said base of sheet-like material;

(0) a single peripheral cam disposed at the opposite side of said base, and rotatably driven by said output shaft, said output shaft terminating within said cam;

(d) electrical switch means secured to said opposite side and operated in response to rotation of said cam; and

(e) a generally U-shaped bracket having legs secured at their free ends to said base, and a bight extending about said cam as a guard, said bight having an outer surface adapted to support said timer.

5. A sequential timer comprising in combination:

(a) a base of sheet-like insulative material;

([2) a synchronous electric motor assembly disposed at and secured to one side of said base, and having a rotatably driven output shaft extending through said base of sheet-like material;

(c) a single peripheral cam disposed at the opposite side of said base, and having an integral hub portion rotatably driven by said output shaft, said hub portion having a reduced diameter end remote from said base;

(d) electrical switch means secured to said opposite side and operated in response to rotation of said cam; and

(e) a generally U-shaped bracket having legs secured at their free ends to said base, and a bight extending about said cam as a guard, said bight having an outer surface adapted to support said timer, and also having means defining an aperture in said bight by which said reduced diameter end is rotatably supported.

6. A sequential timer comprising in combination:

(a) a base of sheet-like insulative material;

(b) a synchronous electric motor assembly disposed at and secured to one side of said base, and having a rotatably driven output shaft extending through said base of sheet-like material;

(c) a single peripheral cam disposed at the opposite side of said base, and having an integral hub portion rotatably driven by said output shaft, said hub portion having a reduced diameter end remote from said base;

(d) electrical switch means secured to said opposite side and operated in response to rotation of said cam; and

(e) a generally U-shaped bracket having legs secured at their free ends to said base, and a bight extending about said cam as a guard, said bight having an outer surface adapted to support said timer, and also having an apertured boss receiving and rotatably supporting said reduced diameter end portion of said cam, which end portion terminates in said boss in recessed relation to the timer-supporting surface of said bight.

7. A sequential timer comprising in combination:

(a) a base of sheet-like insulative material;

(b) a synchronous electric motor assembly disposed at and secured to one side of said base, and having a rotatably driven output shaft extending through said base of sheet-like material;

(0) a single peripheral cam disposed at the opposite side of said base, and having an integral hub portion rotatably driven by said output shaft, said output shaft terminating Within said hub portion, said hub portion having a reduced diameter end remote from said base;

(d) electrical switch means secured to said opposite side and operated in response to rotation of said cam; and

(e) a generally U-shaped bracket having legs secured at their free ends to said base, and a bight extending about said cam as a guard, said bight having an outer surface adapted to support said timer, and also having means defining an aperture in said bight by which said reduced diameter end is rotatably supported.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,508,798 Klay Sept. 16, 1924 2,430,286 Flegel Nov. 4, 1947 2,758,181 Crouch Aug. 7, 1956 2,832,856 Goodhouse Apr. 29, 1958 2,917,939 Harris Dec. 22, 1959 2,920,153 Horstmann Jan. 5, 1960 2,925,478 Yamasaki Feb. 16, 1960 

1. A SEQUENTIAL TIMER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A BASE OF INSULATIVE MATERIAL; (B) A SYNCHRONOUS ELECTRIC MOTOR ASSEMBLY SECURED TO SAID BASE AND HAVING A ROTABLY DRIVEN OUTPUT SHAFT; (C) A SINGLE CAM ROTATABLY DRIVEN BY SAID OUTPUT SHAFT, AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL TRACK WITH ONLY TWO EFFECTIVE DWELL HEIGHTS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER BY A RELATIVELY STEEP RISE PORTION AND A FREE FALL PORTION; (D) A PLURALITY OF BISED FLEXIBLE CONTACT BLADES SECURED TO SAID BASE IN FLATWISE SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER, ONE OF SAID BLADES HAVING A SHARP-EDGED CAMFOLLOWER PROJECTING THEREFROM AND ENGAGEABLE AT ITS EDGE WITH SAID TRACK AT ONE OF SAID DWELL HEIGHTS, AND OPERATIVE ON SAID ONE BLADE TO DEFLECT ALL OF SAID BLADES JOINTLY AGAINST THEIR RESPECTIVE BIASES IN RESPONSE TO CAM ROTATION; AND (E) A PLURALITY OF CONTACT AND TERMINALS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID BLADES AND DEFINING THEREWITH TWO SWITCHES, SAID ONE BLADE BEING COMMON TO SAID SWITCHES AND BEING NORMALLY CLOSED OF ITS OWN BIAS AGAINST ONE OF SAID CONTACTS, AND BEING MOVABLE THEREFROM AND ENGAGEABLE WITH ANOTHER OF SAID CONTACTS IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID CAM. 